Movies
Toxic OTT rights reportedly fall to Rs 30 crore amid weak box office
Yash-starrer was seeking over Rs 200 crore before release as platforms cut offers sharply
MUMBAI: Toxic’s fairy tale appears to have hit a rather toxic patch in the streaming market. Yash’s big-budget film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is reportedly struggling to find an OTT buyer, with streaming platforms said to be offering around Rs 30 crore for its post-theatrical rights across languages.
That is a dramatic slide from the Rs 200 crore-plus valuation the makers were reportedly seeking before the film reached cinemas. A leading streaming platform had allegedly offered around Rs 150 crore, but the team is said to have rejected the figure while betting on a stronger theatrical run to lift the film’s digital value.
The box office, however, has not quite played along.
Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic stars Yash, alongside Nayanthara, Kiara Advani and Tara Sutaria. The film arrived with considerable expectations, particularly after Yash’s success with the KGF franchise, but reportedly experienced a sharp drop after its opening amid mixed reviews and negative word of mouth.
With the film carrying a reported budget of around Rs 500 crore, its theatrical performance has consequently become an important factor in the economics of its streaming deal.
OTT platforms typically assess digital rights partly on a film’s theatrical performance and the audience demand it generates. A weaker cinema run can therefore make streamers more reluctant to pay the kind of premium initially expected by producers.
Reports now suggest ZEE5 has made the highest offer so far, at around the reported Rs 30 crore mark, although no OTT agreement has been officially announced by the makers.
There could also be a rewrite before Toxic reaches the small screen. The team is reportedly considering a different edit for the digital release, with a revised cut potentially being used to make the film more appealing to streaming platforms and improve its commercial prospects.
The reported numbers underline the scale of the rethink: from expectations of more than Rs 200 crore to current offers of around Rs 30 crore, the gap is substantial. But the figures remain based on industry reports, and the producers have not officially confirmed either the reported offer or any losses.
For now, Toxic’s streaming fate remains unresolved and the makers may have to decide whether to take the smaller cheque or give the film another cut before taking it back to the digital audience.
